In the foodservice business we all know that chicken is very much the most popular protein on mainstream menus. But can you imagine becoming a world beater with just chicken on your menu, with a supporting cast of Frisian cows as your sales and promotion team!
That’s the case with Chick-fil-A, a hugely popular chicken fast food restaurant chain in the USA. We’re big fans of their ad campaigns featuring those cows, but here’s some other really interesting facts about them that really would make your eyes water:
1. Opened their first restaurant in 1967, they now have c. 2,000 in 48 states in USA turning over $6.8 billion in 2015!
2. Still privately owned by the original founding family.
3. Only sell chicken, no other proteins except as ingredients, e.g. bacon.
4. The cows were dreamed up in 1995, and have been ‘mooving’ and shaking ever since!
5. Known and revered for their chicken sandwich (chicken fillet burger to us).
6. They don’t do reformed chicken products.
7. They don’t open on Sundays because of the Cathy family’s devout southern Baptist roots, and have got less than positive PR for their forthright Christian views mixed into their marketing campaigns.
8. They’ve had 48 consecutive years of positive sales growth.
9. Their average turnover per established outlet per year in 2015 was $3.977m. That’s almost $1.5m more than the average McDonalds, and nearly $3m more than the average KFC!
Incredible how far you can go with good chicken!
